Tampa, Fla. (October 2, 2007) – The Saint Leo University volleyball team (15-7, 1-4 SSC) was downed 3-0 by the No. 1 University of Tampa (16-1, 5-0 SSC) on Tuesday night in a Sunshine State Conference match. The Spartans won with game scores of 30-22, 30-25 and 30-23 at the Bob Martinez Sports Center in Tampa, Fla.

Saint Leo lost its third straight conference game, and fell to 0-53 all-time against Tampa. Saint Leo freshman Leah Perry (Salem, Ohio) led the Lions with eight kills, but the Tampa duo of Erin Clark and Katelen Dixon were too much to handle, as they registered 14 and 10 kills, respectively.

The Lions led for much of the first game, but the Spartans scored 12 of the final 16 points to secure a 30-22 win. SLU again hung tough in game two, as the score was tied at 20-20. However, UT again pulled away with a late run to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

In the third match, the Lions let yet another lead slip away late. Saint Leo was ahead 21-20, but Tampa outscored the Lions 10-2 to secure the win and maintain their perfect record in the SSC.

Saint Leo returns home this weekend for a pair of conference matches. The Lions will face Lynn University on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and then host Barry University on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.